Week 13 CSA Newsletter

Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm and Welcome to CSA Week 13.  Week 13 is an egg week.

Yes, you guessed correctly.  I am home!  After a lengthy hospital stay, I am finally home and in healing and recovery mode.  Thanks to everyone for their healing thoughts, prayers and energies and thanks for all the kind emails, cards and notes. It is nice to know our farm community is so caring.  Thanks also to Farmer Matt and Farmer Joyce for not only supporting Don and I, but for also working hard to keep the farm together while Farmer Don and I were dealing with doctors and hospitals.  So, if you see Farmer Matt at market or on deliveries, please give him an extra thank you for watching over the farm while Farmer Don was frantically driving back and forth from Philly trying to balance supporting me and running a farm. 

Wasn’t today’s rain beautiful?  And wow, did we need the rain!  I forgot how relaxing and welcoming a rainy day can be.  We do have an irrigation system, but irrigation just does not compare to a nice soaking rain.   I think the entire farm was doing a happy dance today in the rain!  I even saw the chickens out enjoying the showers.  

Since I haven’t been on farm for so many weeks, I am a bit out of touch with what is happening in the fields.  I do see lots and lots of beautiful tomatoes being harvested.  Our sungolds are starting to wind down, but we are still harvesting some beautiful slicing, heirloom, paste and mixed cherries.  The large purplish cherry tomatoes are black cherries and are one of my favorite.  We have started harvesting winter squash and they have already started going out in boxes.  New for week 14 are shelling beans.  Shelling beans are basically dry beans which have not been dried.  They have a rich creamy texture, do not need to be soaked before cooking and will cook in a less time than dry beans.  You will however need to shell them to remove the bean from the pod.  Cooked shelling beans pair well with tomatoes in a salad dressed with a simple herb vinaigrette.  Shelling beans also turn a basic greens and bean recipe into a fresh treat. 

We will again be offering bulk apple orchard pork for sale this fall.  We anticipate this year’s pork to be available in late October or early November.   Bulk pork will be sold by the half or whole pig.  Your meat will be processed, cut and wrapped at a USDA certified butcher.  This year we will be offering nitrate free ham and bacon products.  As with last year, we will also be offering individual cuts of pork at markets and through our winter buying club.  Please watch our newsletters for more information on our pork.

Speaking of protein, we do still have chickens available.  Our chickens are raised on our organically managed pastures, with their feed supplemented with certified organic grains.  Chickens are available as halves or wholes and can be purchased through our buying club or picked up at one of the farmers markets we attend.

Speaking of farmers markets, Farmer Don will be back at market this weekend and he is excited to see everyone.  He and Farmer Phil will be at the Back Mountain Market on Saturday from 9 to 2.  Farmer Don will also be back at the Mountain Market this week on Sunday from 9 to 1.  We will have salad mix, tomatoes, pastured chicken, a limited number eggs and limited cuts of apple orchard pork.  If you go to either market, please be sure to stop by and say hello to Farmer Don.

Please have a great week and enjoy your veggies!